Title: The Odyssey: A Dramatic Retelling
Author: Simon Armitage
Format: Trade Paperback
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Pub Date: Apr 2008
Read: Jan 2011
Purchased: Barnes & Noble, 66th and Broadway
Why: I love the Odyssey and this was super cheap (I got it at the remaindered price, sorry Simon Armitage!)
Fulfills Challenge? No.
Notes:
It’s been about 10 years since I read the original Odyssey (I have been assigned the Odyssey three times during my formal education — in 6th grade, we were paired up and each pair had to read one book and then do a presentation; in 10th grade I finally got to read the entire thing; it was then assigned to me again (along with the Iliad, which I had also already read) in the Greek Heroes class I took in college, but I didn’t read it that time around because time was limited and hey, I’d already read it!)
Review/Thoughts:
This is basically a retelling of the Odyssey in the form of conversations between characters. Gone is a lot of the richness that makes the Odyssey worthy of intense study, but present is a great deal of wit and humor. I found myself struggling not to burst into laughter while reading this on the train. With Armitage’s retelling you also get to see the point of view of some of the other characters that you’re not privy to in the original. It adds an interesting touch. There are a few crucial scenes that I felt should have been included in this one (such as Odysseus’ reunion with his father), but all in all Armitage does an excellent job of capturing the main events. You don’t have to have read the Odyssey in order to appreciate Armitage’s dramatic retelling, but you’ll get a lot more out of it if you have. Highly recommended.
Final Verdict: 
